The Lost Crow

Chapter 3

I woke still wrapped in Chibbs' arms and smiled to myself as I remembered last night. I looked at the clock hanging on my wall and saw it was only 5 am. I sighed before starting to carefully try to pull myself free. His arms tightened and I heard him almost growl sending a shiver up my spine. "Where do ya think you're going Lass?" he asked me with his eyes still closed. When he spoke his breath fanned on my exposed shoulder. His breath tickled the back of my neck as he breathed. I had to take a moment before I spoke, knowing my voice would give away the butterflies I was feeling. "Just need a drink I'll be right back," I said in almost a whisper as I finished getting myself free. He rolled over but fell right back to sleep making me sigh in relief. Already my body felt almost like new with some yellow splotches that had once been bruises. I quietly grabbed a sports bra and leggings quickly changing and grabbing my sneakers, phone, and earbuds. Chibbs stirred a little but stayed soundly asleep as I slipped out the door and made my towards the front door of the bar. Once outside I put on my shoes and set up my music before taking off in a jog down the road. I ran as the sun began rising in the sky, not really paying attention as I ran. About 30 minutes later I found a coffee shop and quickly got a bottled water before leaving and making my way back to the bar.

I took a more scenic route back just simply wanting to drive my body back to exhaustion. I kept my ear buds in as I walked back into the bar ready to hit the showers and get ready for the day. I didn't notice the guys moving in a panic around me. They all stopped and went quiet, in shock that I just waltzed in. Chibbs had been the first of course to realize I was gone and had been slowly working himself to an almost hysterical state worrying about me. He grabbed me but before anyone could process it, I reacted. I dropped the water bottle, grabbing Chibbs and quickly bending his arm almost to a breaking point forcing him to his knees. Tig ran up to me to stop me and I hit him knocking him back before tossing  Chibs and running at him. It didn't register in my mind who I was looking at as I moved too fast. I flipped him to the ground using the move Natasha had taught me and landing in a pose. It was then I realized what I had done, looking at the two men on the ground. Tears hit my eyes faster than I could stop them and I whispered a sorry and ran to my dorm as fast as I could. I locked myself in my room and slid with my back to the door, down to the ground. I sobbed hard and quiet realizing I could have killed them all because I was jumpy.

Jax helped Chibbs and Tig up before turning to head to my door. Chibbs went to follow but Jax stopped him, somehow  knowing he was the last person I would want to see. When Jax got to my door, he could hear my quiet sobs. He sighed before lightly knocking. "It's me," was all he said and I opened the door just enough for him to pass through before shutting it quickly behind him. He could see the pain on my face with some guilt mixed in and quickly he realized I hadn't meant to do what I did. He heard footsteps and quickly locked the door and then some whispers. The doorknob jiggled but soon we heard footsteps move away. He gently took me in his arms and it was like a flood gate had opened. My yells were muffled as I screamed into his chest and the sobs began to violently shake my body. I couldn't make out the words but Jax whispered to me soothingly to try and calm me. Soon I was breathing normal and just leaned against him as he kept me in his arms. I sat up and one look from Jax's baby blue eyes and I started telling him. I told him everything I had gone through, about everyone I had lost, and the family I had gained. I told him the bad parts too and at times he had to take a minute but not because of me. When I was done I felt a weight lift a little, just enough I felt like I could breathe again. Jax simply hugged me and promised not to say anything, at least not until I was ready. He gave me one last hug and slipped out the door before I closed it and locked it again. I could hear the hushed voices as people bombarded him with questions. He simply walked by them and a few minutes later everyone could hear as the shower started.

True to his word, Jax said nothing and even better he had told everyone to go on about their day. He sat at the bar and waited, ignoring the stares from everyone around him. Once finished with my shower I started going back out the bar and silently moved past everyone straight for the office. Chibbs watched me walk away feeling a slight sting that I hadn't stopped to speak to anyone. My mom sighed and moved to head towards me, but the sound of Jax's voice stopped her on her tracks. "Ma, leave her be," he said and something about his icy tone made everyone look at him strangely. Without another word Jax stood and headed towards the office, remembering to grab the box Jamie had left me. Once in the garage he saw I had set a desk and workbench at the back away from the mechanic equipment. He set the box on the table, giving me a small nod before heading back out to the bar. I pulled my tools out before finally pulling shut a curtain I had set up to block everyone's view of me. I had put a big sign up that said not to disturb me while the sheet was pulled shut. I pulled off the shirt I wore and remember what looked like skin from my right arm, revealing the vibranium prosthetic that took the place of my flesh arm. I removed the arm from its connecting socket and set it down on the table. I placed earbuds in and then quickly starting running a diagnostic program Shuri had provided me and linked with her systems quickly and allowing updates to run for the programming done to my arm. I could hear people moving in and around the area as I continued to work on my arm, but no one dared to peek behind the curtain to see what I was doing. Once I was finished with my arm I put it back into place and put a new sleeve over it that would make it look like a flesh arm. I then snapped the curtain back ignoring the looks everyone was giving me before turning to my computer and running the scanners I had to look for any traces of energy that resembled what happened all those years ago. I worked on new programming for the AI system that Tony had created specifically for me before....well a day I tried to forget. I worked for hours on the projects I had set up for myself which included some upgrades for some of my weapons that I used. I never noticed how Mom, Jax, Chibbs, and Clay would all come in periodically to check on me. I pretended as if I couldn't hear anything they said to me fidgeting with my headphones every once in awhile to draw their attention to it, making them think I in fact couldn't hear them. 

Eventually they left me alone and I continued working well into the night never once looking away unless I was responding to something Yelena or Jamie text to me. Along side the scans for the energy, I also began running scans from satellite images across the globe searching for anything that I may need to let them know about. I sighed as I put  my head in my hands, frustrated that I just keep hitting dead ends. I looked for any kind of paper trail or cyber trail I could find, examining things closely. I could hear whispers behind me and glanced out of my peripherals and saw Juice standing looking and talking excitedly with Jax as he noticed the hardware I was using. I smirked to myself as I turned back to my work and looked quickly through a fresh batch of satellite images that came through, feeling defeated that I had still come up with nothing. I didn't noticed that Jax and Juice had left and even more so didn't notice Chibbs had come in until a plate was set down next to me making me look. Before I knew it he was already leaving the room and a wave of guilt washed over me. I felt terrible for what had happened and hated how badly that could have gone. I made a promise that I wouldn't let that happen again and decided there and then that I would distance myself so I could protect them from what I feared most....myself. I took the food and leaned back in my chair watching my screen as I quickly ate what he had brought me. Eventually when I couldn't keep myself awake anymore, my head rested on my desk and I was soundly sleeping when my Mom came in followed by Chibbs and Jax. She looked at me sadly and carefully covered me with a blanket knowing it was better to leave me as I was rather than risk startling me again. They all watched as  the scans I was running were flashing across my computer screen, not understanding what they were seeing. They made their way out and quietly shut the door after turning off the lights and left me be. The next morning when they came back to check on me I was still sleeping the way they had left me. It startled everyone but me when a voice came over the speakers of the computer. "Madam, I've found something you should see," the male sound voice stated almost robotically. I shifted but didn't open my eyes groaning slightly at my sleep being disturbed. "What is it T?" I asked in a raspy voice. The voice almost seemed to hesitate before speaking again, almost contemplating what it needed to respond with. "I'm not sure how to describe it, you should really take a look," the voice responded. I looked up slowly as an image showed on the screen. I looked at it confusedly unsure of what I was really looking at. It almost looked like one of those old Nazi World War II bunkers. "Where is this T?" I asked unsure if what I was seeing was what I feared. "It appears to be in Sokovia, but based on the readings I was able to obtain, there doesn't appear to be anything living there," the voice stated. The others began to move closer not sure what was happening and confused as to why I was talking to my computer. "T, do we..." but the voice cut me off before I could finish my question. "Already on it kid," the voice said almost sounding just like him. The wait seemed like it too hours but finally one image popped up and it solidified some of my fears. We had missed one and the recent kidnapping of Jamie along with this verified my fears were in fact right and happening now.